Puppy Love
by Increasing Paranoia
Summary: Unbeknownst to Sky, the puppy Boom asks him to look after is actually his room-mate.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hey, look who's back to writing! Yay! Anyway, this chapter is dedicated to InsertDecentNameHere because apparently I broke her. My badness...

* * *

_Bored_, Bridge thought. _Good God, how do people put up with this?_ Bridge huffed in irritation and laid his head on his crossed arms. If he ever caught up with Boom, he was going to sink his teeth into the man's leg. Bridge had told the other man not to go messing with the animal DNA but had the other man listened? Nooo. And now, Bridge was a puppy. The green ranger growled in irritation, though he knew he was just as much to blame. Boom – knowing that Bridge was in love with someone (but not who) – had been working on a device which would help Bridge figure out whether or not his feelings were returned. And Bridge had been excited enough to overlook the fact that Boom's projects generally didn't turn out the greatest.

"So how does this work?" Bridge asked, trailing after Boom.

"It's going to turn you into your inner animal and I'll tell everyone that you're my new pet. Once everyone's used to you, you'll be able to eavesdrop with no problem!" Boom stated excitedly.

"Uh, thanks but this seems unnecessarily complicated," Bridge stated. Boom sulked but allowed the green ranger to head toward the door. Bridge almost made it, too, until he heard the crashing of a glass vial.

"Oh shit," Boom whimpered. When the green ranger whirled and saw the smoke, instinct kicked in and he dove, shoving the other man out of the way. "Oh man, I don't think you should have done that," Boom whimpered, staring in horror at the ranger. Bridge wrinkled his nose in disgust, attempting to wipe off the goop he was now covered in.

"Boom?" Bridge asked hesitantly as nausea washed over him. "How long is this stuff supposed to last?" Boom's eyes widened.

"I have no idea," he whispered. Bridge grit his teeth as pain wracked his lithe frame.

"Find Dr. Manx," he hissed before the pain became too excruciating. The ranger didn't even notice the other man leaving – he was too caught up in the tiny jolts of electricity surging through his body. Finally, unable to stand it anymore, he screamed and darkness enveloped him. And now he was a puppy. Bridge huffed in irritation and resettled himself on the uncomfortable floor. All he could do was wait until Boom and Dr. Manx came back for him.

~Mini-Page Break~

Sky was worried. Scratch that. A stoic ranger such as Sky did not get worried. Especially not over annoying room-mates. But it wasn't like Bridge to stay out late and Sky had stayed awake until midnight waiting for the younger man to return. It was now six a.m. And there was still no sign of the green ranger. The blond frowned at his friend's still-made bed as he finished toweling off from his shower and decided that if Bridge wasn't back by the time he finished breakfast that he would begin looking for him.

Sky kept his eyes peeled in the cafeteria but there was no sign of the exuberant teenager. As the room began to empty out, Sky sighed in defeat, standing and heading out to find his squad mates. Maybe one of them would know what had become of their resident scientist.

"Haven't seen him since yesterday," Jack stated with a shrug. "Sorry."

"I'm his friend, not his keeper," Syd stated as she rolled her eyes.

"He was with Boom, heading to the labs but that was last night," Z informed him. Sky made a mental note to be much nicer to Z in the future before heading toward the labs. He'd find Bridge or Boom and find out what the hell was going on.

~Mini-Page Break~

"Oh, this is not good. Oh, this is really not good." Boom panicked as he rushed around the lab. Bridge watched him lazily from his corner, content to watch the scientist since he had already exacted his revenge by sinking his sharp puppy teeth into Boom's leg. Dr. Manx merely heaved a sigh as she reviewed Boom's data for the second time.

"I'm sorry, Bridge, but I don't think there's a way to reverse what Boom's done. However," She continued, cutting off Boom's squawking, "the effects should only be temporary. You should be yourself within a week's time. In the meantime, I suggest staying with someone you trust and I'll inform Crueger so he may take B-squad off the duty roster." Bridge huffed and allowed his head to lower onto his paws.

"But what do we tell the others?" Boom asked. "Do we tell them that this is Bridge?" he asked, gesturing to where the chocolate cattle dog puppy was tangled in a box of spare wires.

"No," Dr. Manx decided after a pause. "No, I'll make up some medical reason for Bridge to be away for the week. Keep him with you and out of trouble until he changes back," she ordered before slipping out of the lab and making sure the door was shut firmly behind her. A puppy loose in SPD was the last thing they needed.

Bridge barely paid attention to the conversation going on behind him. Instead, he was wondering how difficult it would be to build the ultimate toaster – which would not only toast the bread but butter it as well – in dog form. He was willing to give it a try and was in the middle of pulling out the wires necessary when he was interrupted by the disconcerting feeling of his feet leaving the floor.

"Whoa there, buddy," Boom said as he cuddled the fuzzy puppy. "I'm so sorry, Bridge, but you can't just run around like your usual self. You're a puppy and you've got to do _puppy_ things, like play...and...chew things you shouldn't." Bridge was certain the red-head scientist would have continued if the door hadn't slid open.

"Ah, Boom, have you seen – what...is...that?" Sky pulled up short as he took in the wriggling puppy in Boom's arms. "Who the hell let you loose with a puppy?"

"Sky! Uh, hey, what brings you to the labs?" Boom asked, feigning nonchalance. It was a lot harder than it seemed since Bridge was adamant about getting out of his grasp. A desperate idea hatched in his head.

"I'm looking for Bridge," Sky stated, his composure back despite the recent puppy developments.

"Here, hold onto him for a minute," Boom stated as he thrust the excitable puppy into the blue ranger's hands before pretending to look very busy. "He's with Kat. She's worried about something – she's keeping him separated for the next week or so. She just left to talk to Crueger about taking B-squad off rotation until he's better." Boom chanced a glance at the blue ranger and was surprised to see Bridge curled up in his arms, asleep, while Sky frowned down at him.

"Your dog," he stated shortly as he attempted to hand the sleeping puppy back. If Bridge was with Kat, then Sky would just have to find the doctor and see what was going on with his team mate.

"Uh, about that...he's not actually _mine_ and I was wondering if -"

"No."

"Just until I find him a home!"

"_No."_

"Sky!" Boom pleaded. The argument woke up the puppy and chocolate brown eyes peered up at the blond before the cattle dog turned his head and gave the ranger's hand a soft lick.

"...fine." Sky sighed in irritation as he carried the puppy out of Boom's lab. He had to admit – even if he never admitted it out loud – that the mottled dog was actually pretty cute. But he had more important things to think about. Namely, finding Bridge. Shifting the sleeping pup in his arms, Sky set off down the long corridor towards Crueger's office.

"...again. It should only be about a week," Dr. Manx stated as she exited Crueger's office.

"Dr. Manx!" Sky called, rushing forward. "Dr. Manx, is Bridge alright?" he asked. Hearing his name, the puppy perked up and Dr. Manx's eyes widened slightly .

"As I just finished telling Crueger, I observed some abnormalities on Bridge's yearly exam and want to keep him isolated until I figure out what caused them. I'm afraid you won't be able to see him until I'm certain that it won't affect you. It shouldn't take more than a week," she assured.

"A week?" Sky gaped.

"Where did you get that puppy?" Dr. Manx interjected before the blond could argue.

"Boom asked me to watch him while he tried to find him a home," Sky told her as he pulled the cattle dog closer to his chest. A quick look passed between Dr. Manx and Crueger.

"Just make sure you keep a close eye on him," she warned. Sky grinned.

"No problem."

* * *

"Nonononononono!" Sky shouted as he took off after the chocolate cattle dog. "Bad dog!" Bridge grinned as he scarfed down the stolen bacon. It sucked that he was stuck in puppy form but he couldn't complain about spending all his free time with Sky. Speaking of the ranger... Sky dropped to his knees and glared underneath the couch. "You are in so much trouble, mister." Bridge mentally snickered before the blond grabbed the scruff of his neck and hauled him out from underneath the couch in the rec room.

_Don't kill me!_ Bridge mentally begged, fully aware that Sky couldn't actually hear his thoughts. Luckily, Bridge could sense the amusement rolling off the blue ranger. It seemed the blond allowed more emotion to bleed through when he thought Bridge wasn't around to sense it. Interesting.

"Now, you little hellhound, let's see if we can't find someplace more appropriate for your antics." Sky stated as he tucked the puppy under his arm. Passing through the corridors, Sky tried to figure out where he could take the over-energized ball of fluff. Walking through the hallways, Sky absently stroked the puppy's fur. Bridge sighed as he felt firm fingers kneading his skin and he settled more fully against the blond ranger's chest. "Here we are," Sky stated as he knelt down and let the cattle dog hop out of his arms. Bridge immediately tried to hop back into his friend's arms but the older man was already standing. So Bridge was left standing on his hind legs, whimpering.

_Sky! Pick me up! It feels funny! Sky! It tickles!_ He whined. The blue ranger frowned down at the puppy.

"What's the matter, boy? Don't you like grass?" he asked. Bridge immediately rotated his head to take in his surroundings. Sky had brought him outside of the academy and the tickling sensation that had been bothering him was the sensation of grass blades on the pads of his paws. Bridge took a moment to take everything in – the scene before him was a tad confusing as his brain struggled to adjust to shades of gray interspersed with yellow and blue – before taking a tentative step forward. After a few uncertain steps, Bridge took off like a shot. He weaved in and out of the trees, stopping every now and again to investigate a particularly intriguing smell.

Sky lowered himself to sit cross-legged on the warm grass. He smiled as he watched the brown blur chase a squirrel before losing interest and trotting back to the blue ranger's side. The blond raised a hand and began to absent-mindedly stroke soft fur. Bridge panted quietly, leaving Sky alone with his thoughts…

"I'm worried about Bridge," Sky said softly. Bridge's ears cocked and he turned to look at the older man. But Sky stared off into the distance, lost in his own thoughts until it was time to go in.

* * *

"So what's his name?" Z asked as she patted the small dog.

"Name?" Sky asked as he looked up from his book.

"Well, yeah. He needs a name." Z told him as she lifted the puppy into her arms. "I mean, you can't just keep calling him 'dog' or 'puppy', can you?"

"I'm not naming him. His new owners can name him." Sky stated.

"What have you been calling him?" The yellow ranger asked, ignoring the blond.

"Pup, trouble, Satan, demon…" the man trailed off as he flipped the page.

"Aw, look at his face," Syd chimed in. "You're none of those things, are you? Are you?" She asked, her voice taking on a baby-talk tone. Bridge mentally cringed. Sky merely rolled his eyes as he stood up.

"Come on, pup," he called and Bridge happily fled from the females. "I don't know what it is with people and small animals," Sky admitted as they entered the bedroom. "I mean, yeah, between you and me you're pretty darn cute but I'm not going insane over you or talking to you in a baby voice," the blond stated as he peeled off his uniform. "I just…" he trailed off as he looked at the puppy. Bridge tilted his head in what he hoped was an encouraging manner. "I'm talking to a dog." Sky sighed. "Look, I don't have a bed for you or anything and I don't know if Bridge is allergic to dogs or not so I guess you'll be bunking in my bed until I can set something up," the blond told him tiredly and Bridge wagged his tail before jumping on the man's bed. "How did…" Sky trailed off. "Get ahold of yourself, Tate. You're already talking to a dog - don't go giving him human characteristics on top of that. Aaaaand now I'm talking to myself." Sky grabbed his pajamas with a sigh and entered the bathroom, leaving Bridge to curl up at the foot of his bed.

~Review~


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Sorry for the delay, guys. I've been working on an original story as of late. Anyway, here's chapter two! One more chapter will wrap this up. Enjoy!

* * *

"You're not a normal dog, are you?" Sky asked. Bridge immediately froze and dropped the stick he'd been using to write equations with. Slowly he turned to face the man, his paws sinking into the soft mud.

_Okay, Bridge. You can get out of this. Think puppy thoughts. You're just a dog enjoying a day at the park. The fact that you snuck away to work out equations by the lake is beside the point. Distract him with your puppy cuteness!_ Bridge gave the blond wide puppy eyes and a small yip; all the while his tail went a mile a minute.

"Yeah, that's not going to work this time," Sky told him as he hauled the puppy into his arms - muddy feet and all. Bridge whined but didn't try to get away. "I've had you for three days and although you've been an unholy terror it hasn't been because you've been chewing things or ripping things up. Yesterday you ripped apart the toaster oven - and I still haven't figured out _how_. The day before that you managed to take apart the gaming console in the rec room. And today you're writing equations in mud."

_Evasive maneuvers!_ Bridge's brain screamed and he gave the blue ranger's nose a lick before hopping out of his arms and running away. His paws dug into the soft mud, destroying all evidence of the equations that he had been working on.

"Pup!" Sky shouted as he took off after the little cattle dog. But Bridge was way ahead of him and he was weaving in and out of the trees, around pedestrians out for a walk and the utter jubilation he felt made him deaf to Sky's shouting. Eventually he made his way back to the edge of the lake and he sat down to wait for the blond's arrival.

Sky glowered at his charge when he finally caught up to him. Bridge was panting heavily but managed to grin at the blue ranger before collapsing onto his stomach, coating his fur in mud. The cool temperature felt good and he rolled in the mud, successfully getting it all over his fur.

"Satisfied?" Sky asked dryly. He was torn between being annoyed and amused - much like he usually was with Bridge. A pang of guilt went through him as he realized that he hadn't asked Dr. Manx about his progress once in the past three days. As if sensing his dampened mood the puppy awkwardly waddled out of the mud and placed his front paws on Sky's previously pristine jeans. "Come on," Sky stated as he rolled his eyes. "Let's go get you cleaned up."

The blue ranger ignored the odd looks he received as he traversed the hallways of SPD. They had become somewhat of a regular occurrence ever since a certain chocolate cattle dog puppy had snuggled his way into the blue ranger's life. Sky could only assume that his fellow cadets had never expected to see him with something as messy as a puppy. As he felt the mud slide down the front of his shirt, Sky grimaced and quickened his pace. So a messy puppy wasn't that big of an issue. It didn't mean that the blond didn't want to get them both clean ASAP.

Bridge happily splashed in the water as Sky rinsed the mud from his fur. Even though it was just water - Sky didn't have any shampoo for dogs - it still felt amazing to get clean. And Bridge was immensely enjoying chasing the spray from the shower head. Sky chuckled as he shut the water off and Bridge shook his fur free of excess water droplets. Putting his front paws on the edge of the tub he waited patiently as Sky peeled off his sopping wet shirt before grabbing a towel for the puppy.

"Come on," Sky said softly, amusement clearly coloring his voice. He scooped Bridge up, making sure all paws and tail were wrapped in the towel before he exited to the bedroom and began drying the cattle dog puppy. "What are we going to do with you?" Sky asked softly. Bridge wriggled around in his towel until he managed to look at the blond.

_Come on, Sky. Just four more days! _Bridge pleaded. _I'll behave!_

"I wonder if Bridge likes dogs…" Sky muttered to himself.

_Yes! I love dogs!_ Bridge mentally shouted, giving Sky an affectionate lick. The blond's mouth quirked in his approximation of a grin and he continued drying the puppy until he was as dry as he was going to get.

"Come on, we'll see if we can bug Dr. Manx for some information on how Bridge is doing," Sky stated as he set the puppy on the floor and dumped the wet towel into the dirty clothes hamper. Bridge huffed but followed the older ranger out the door.

The walk to the laboratory was filled with silence. Sky was lost in his own thoughts and Bridge could feel the waves of worry rolling off the older ranger. It made him feel warm inside knowing that Sky cared that much for him. He just wished that the blue ranger would be this open with his emotion all of the time but his train of thought shut off as the door to the lab slid open.

"Hey, Boom," Sky greeted as he stepped inside. The scientist's head jerked up and the color drained from his face as he caught sight of Sky and Bridge.

"Oh, hey, Sky! Listen, about the puppy, I haven't had a chance to -" Boom began but Sky waived him off.

"Have you seen Dr. Manx? I want to talk to her about Bridge. He should be going stir-crazy about now and I wanted to see if there was anything I could grab from our room for him," Sky explained. Boom instantly relaxed.

"She's right through there," he told the ranger as he motioned to the adjacent lab. Sky immediately took off but Bridge hung around, moseying over to where Boom was working. Pawing at the scientist's leg got him lifted onto the counter and he got a better view of Boom's work. From what Bridge could see the scientist was working on a revision to his initial animal compound - the one responsible for the green ranger's current puppy form. If Boom's hypothesis was correct the user would only change for short periods of time. However, Bridge could already spot three inconsistencies in Boom's equations but before he had a chance to point those out Sky came back into the lab with a frown on his face. "Everything okay?" Boom asked.

"I'm not sure," Sky told him slowly. Bridge trotted over and the blue ranger picked him up without a second thought. "Hey, Boom?" Sky asked, then shook his head. "Never mind. And don't worry about the puppy," he told him, holding Bridge a little higher to emphasis his point. "He can stick around as long as he needs to." As the doors hissed shut behind them Bridge wriggled in happiness.

_Thankyouthankyouthankyou!_ He thought. _I don't want to stay with Boom or Kat. They're not as much fun as you are!_ Sky chuckled at the puppy's exuberance.

"Yeah, I like you too," he told the puppy. Just settle your butt down before you make me drop you."

* * *

Bridge jerked awake as the crash of thunder echoed in his ears. Expecting to see black with shades of grey, it threw him through a loop as his puppy vision translated the darkness into shades of purple. Once his brain adapted to the changes Bridge burrowed underneath the covers. He didn't like thunderstorms in his human form – his keen dog hearing made everything four times worse for the green ranger. Instinctively, Bridge burrowed his way to where Sky sprawled across the bed, looking to seek comfort from the blond's proximity. All the transformed ranger found was empty sheets. Letting out a pitiful whimper the puppy tried to scent out where it was the blue ranger disappeared to. But the sheets were saturated with Sky's scent and it gave him nothing to go on. Another whimper escaped the chocolate cattle dog puppy as he slid down the sheets to the floor. Bridge might hate thunderstorms but he hated being left alone during them even more.

Exiting the room, the little puppy sniffed around and tried to find the strongest scent trail for his friend. His canine nose – ten thousand times stronger than that of his human nose – easily picked out his friend's scent from the rest of SPD's miscellaneous scents. It was a bit more difficult trying to figure out which was the correct scent trail to follow but after a few false starts Bridge found himself about a quarter of a mile down the hallway staring up at the doorway leading to the roof.

_Of course he's on the roof in a thunderstorm._ Bridge thought crossly. _And of course this is one of the few latch doors in the entire building_, he growled. He shifted from paw to paw as he thought about what to do. He absentmindedly wished there was a way he could stand on his head while he thought but he dismissed the thought as soon as it appeared. Figuring that the best thing he could do was throw his weight against the door and hope for the best, Bridge did just that. Mentally cheering when he felt the door give, he backed up and charged again. Slowly the door creaked open and Bridge shoved his head through the crack and managed to pull the rest of his body through only to be faced with another obstacle. Stairs.

Bridge had been a puppy for five days now and not once in those five days had he ever had to learn how to manage stairs. But where there was a will there's a way and Bridge was one determined puppy. Placing his front paws on the bottom step he shifted weight forward and scrambled his back legs until he finally managed to hook a back paw onto the step and drag himself up. It was wholly undignified and he'd die of shame if anyone caught sight of him but it got him where he needed to go. Stopping at the top step Bridge – panting heavily by this point – was happy to see the door to the roof propped open.

Heading outside the small puppy gave a flinch as a loud clap of thunder rolled by. Bridge crawled along the roof with his belly as close to the ground as he could get it. The most he could be thankful for was that it wasn't raining but he wasn't going to count on his luck. As quickly as possible he dragged himself to where the blue ranger was sitting on an empty crate and looking out at the sky as lightening flashed across it. A particularly long streak created an impossibly loud thunder and Bridge winced before upping his pace. Reaching the safety of Sky's side Bridge let out the most pitiful whimper yet. Glancing down at his feet the blond was surprised to see the puppy on the roof.

"How the hell did you get up here, pup?" he asked as he leaned down and picked up the shivering dog. Obviously Bridge couldn't answer but he curled closer to the blue ranger's warmth. Sky cuddled the puppy in his arms and though the shivering didn't abate it did lessen. "You don't like the thunder, huh?" he asked as he pet through silky fur. "Neither does Bridge," he told the puppy. Sky heaved a deep sigh before confessing, "I think I love him." Bridge couldn't believe his puppy ears and for the first time since he had been transformed he cursed his situation.

_Just you wait, mister,_ Bridge thought. _As soon as I have my human form back...Whoa!_ His train of thought cut off as Sky suddenly stood and began walking back to the building. Reaching the doorway, Sky pushed the door back to unleash the latch and as the door shut behind him, he leaned down and set Bridge down.

"Come on, let's go back to bed," he told Bridge before starting the long trek down the stairs. He paused halfway down and turned to look at the cattle dog who was still standing at the top of the stairway. "Let me guess, you went up the steps without knowing how to come down them? Well, I guess you better learn," Sky told him. Bridge gave a little whine but placed his front paws on the step below him and shifted his weight, letting his back paws drop down onto the step. It was clumsy, but he gained momentum as he figured out the logistics and he reached the bottom of the stairway the same time as the blue ranger. "Good boy," Sky praised as he lifted the puppy into his arms and headed back to his room.

Later, as Bridge curled at the side of the sleeping blond, he tried to tell himself not to get used to it. Tomorrow would be the last day of his puppy-hood and then he would be back in his human body. What would happen after that...well, Bridge wasn't entirely sure.

~Review~


End file.
